Saree Love via LimeRoad.com

Okay..I agree..this is 'A Blog Not Just About Sarees.'
But I think you have to put up with the fact that you will have to encounter saree inspired posts more often than you thought.

And what inspired me to do today's post?
Limeroad.com

Not only is it an amazing site to shop, but what I love about them is their unique scrapbook feature.
This feature allows you to curate looks with Limeroad's fabulous stuff, with a simple click of a button. I am in love with it already, and have been curating looks in my free time... a definite and fun stress-buster.

Some of the looks I created..

Which one do you like the most?

The Wedding Nails.

The wedding season is back. (Sometimes, I wonder...Is the wedding season really off in India...??? Nevermind..!)

It's time to dress up! YAY..!!!

From hair to toes, you have planned it all. But Nails? What do you do to glam them up?

Today's post is like the simplest DIY Nail Art post, which shows you how easy and economical it is do your nails for weddings or any other special occasion.

For the past few weeks, I had been busy attending weddings and didn't have much time to do my nail art.
So I came up with this simple nail art, (again using bindis) which is perfect for weddings. It takes not more than 5 minutes and gives your nails that extra bling, just right for weddings.

Step 1:Apply a Basic Nail Paint of your choice.

Step 2: Stick Stud Bindis on the tip of your nails. Using glue will make it last long.


There you go...All Set!!

Do you like this clutch? It's a gift from Mum-in-law. :)

My supplies: Revlon Top Speed (520 Lave), Stud bindis, Glue.

This nail art does not last long and can stay from 1-2 days, depending upon how much time you spend in the kitchen.
[Another excuse, to stay away from kitchen duties. What say?;)]

East Meets West..!

When East Meets West, You Know What To Expect.!

Scroll Down and Enjoy.

Elizabeth Hurley

Victoria Beckham

Lady Gaga

Paris Hilton

Anna Kournikova

Eva Mendes

Julia Roberts

Gisele Bündchen

Halle Berry

Jessica Alba

Cherie Blair with Liz Hurley

Patricia Arquette

The Pussycat Dolls

Ashley Judd

Irene Skliva - Miss World 1996

Serena and Venus Williams

Dita Von Teese

Goldie Hawn

Tania Zaetta

Pamela Anderson

Heidi Klum

Helen Mirren

Cameron Diaz

Madonna

Daniella Kingsley

Naomi Campbell

Oprah Winfrey

And You Thought Only I Love Sarees..! ;)

HAPPY GUDI PADWA..!

For those who aren't aware, Gudi Padwa is the Maharashtrian New Year.

Via Indianclipart.in

You might have heard of different countries around the world following different new years...
For instance: The Chinese New Year.
                     The Jewish New Year
                     The Islamic New Year
                     The Thai New year, etc
{Etc. - Something that I use, when I want to show that I know more than I actually do ;)}

But India being the Quintessential Multi Cultural and Multi Lingual country, celebrates as many as 14 New Years during the year.
More New Years = More Holidays
Don't you just Love INDIA?

Anyways, I have never before in my life done the Gudi Padwa Puja, and was so determined to do it this year..for my Dear Blog's sake. But I was stuck up in office yesterday till 10 pm and being the last minute planner, all my plans were foiled. :(
Also, it was a working day for me today, so there was not much scope for me to do. So, I decided to postpone my plans by a year.
But that should not stop me from giving you some Cultural Dose.

This is how a Gudi Padwa Puja set up looks.

And for those who don't know to read Marathi, I will try to act as your translator.
The Gudi Puja comprises of various elements and each element symbolises something. Go ahead and get acquainted.
Starting from the top:

The Inverted Copper Pot aka Kalash symbolises Victory.
The Green Neem Leaves symbolise Good Health.
The Flower Garland symbolises Auspiciousness.
The White Sugar Candy Garland symbolises Sweetness.
The Brocade Fabric symbolises Wealth.
The Stick symbolises Capability.
The Betel Nut symbolises Resolution.
The Coconut aka Shreefal symbolises Attainment of Complete Knowledge.
The Haldi Kum Kum (Turmeric and Vermillon) symbolises Good Luck.
The Wooden Stool aka Paat symbolises Stabilty.

According to Indian Mythology, Lord Brahma created the Universe on this Day. The Gudi symbolises Brahma's Flag.
The Gudi is always positioned towards the right side as it symbolises the active state of the soul.

For more details re the Gudi Padwa festival, you can refer this.

Until, we meet next time..Stay Happy. :)

 Disclaimer: I do not own the images used in this post.

April 2: World Autism Awareness Day

Hello Everyone..! Today is a Special Day.

Not only because today So-Saree features it’s First Guest Post, but also because it's
World Autism Awareness Day.

A very dear friend of mine (actually she is more like an elder sister) - Sayuri Dalvi agreed to do this post for me, to create awareness regarding Autism.
Sayuri is a single mother of an autististic child and has run in numerous marathons for Khushi, a registered NGO that works for the cause of improving the life of children with disabilities; Autism in particular.
The post was a shocking relevation, which reduced me to tears.
But the purpose of this post is much bigger…Acceptance. In the below post Sayuri, elucidates how life unexpectedly brought her face to face with Autism and at the end, you will realize she is a Winner all the way, because she just doesn’t know to give up. 

Over to you Sayuri…

 A nervous never ending wait at the psychologist’s got over after waiting for about 25 minutes.
We were called in (my then husband [we are divorced now], Vihaan and myself). Vihaan was anxious as expected, it being a new strange place. He was given tasks.
He was non verbal at 22 months. So obviously, most interventions were observations around his motor, fine motor, auditory and visual processing, cognition, tactile and sensory needs. He was all over the place. I am sure these words sound Greek to most. They did to me too then. Thank God for technology and Google!!
Vihaan gave the least eye contact and even screaming his name into ears gave absolutely no response. It made me think if he was deaf or that if he knew he had a name and you are supposed to look when you are called out. No child blabber and gibberish, no baby talk. (How sweet those terms sound... Hard luck I never got to hear them). No chewing of food until he was almost 18 months and I cleaned puked meals almost thrice daily. (Doctor, but he has teeth, how can he not chew).
He only liked cuddling me and barely liked touched by anyone else. (Oh, may be he such a mamma’s boy, I thought to myself). He was almost getting closer to his second birthday and he still didn't call me something. (Now isn’t that every new mommy on earth dying to hear). Tantrums and behavioral meltdowns were violent from throwing a metal car at the fan or anyone closer (you got saved only if were agile enough to duck yourself) to self harming, head banging till it bled or if I had a lucky day, it got away with flinging of any piece of furniture in the vicinity. He had sleep disorder ever since he was born. I didn't remember a single day I had sound sleep or a matter of fact ever slept. I used to fret visits to the barber or cutting nails at home. He would go into crying spells when I chopped his nails and we needed four people to hold him at the Hair Dressers'. To top it all, he would have pooped out in his diaper out of fear and anxiety by the time the session ended. There were so many things that would happen everyday that life perpetually had become a living hell and I wondered if this was really what motherhood was.
Waiting time always brought back horrendous memories. The psychologist watched him for an hour. (When most of the doctors and pediatricians couldn’t make out what exactly this was).
Your child obviously is Autistic. He has ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) – pat came her reply.
The moment she uttered the Diagnosis, it had a dramatic effect on me, just like they show in movies, the only difference… I saw it in reality. I wished this was all a bad dream. But the warm flowing tears were a reality check. It was real. My son had a dangerous sounding disorder I had never heard about.
AUTISM – the word kept ringing in my head all through the drive back home. I was numb, feeling helpless and the world around me had shattered. My marriage was already in a wreck  and Vihaan’s diagnosis was a blow on it. We further drifted apart and I was in no mood to save it. They say, it takes two to tango and I had seen the spark gone. A lot many reasons for adulterated marriage – huge age gap, dishonesty, disloyalty, cheating and abuse - physical, verbal and emotional. It felt like a conspiracy and I indulged in blasphemy. I cursed God till I had no words to go further. I cried every night until I would choke on my tears and fall asleep exhausted.

I read books and searched the internet about Autism which drove me nuts. Every blog or article would scare me beyond imagination. I was in a denial for a few months. I couldn’t accept that fact that my only child would be ‘special’, a label which he would carry life long. I would never see how a normal child behaves, reacts and grows. Instead what started was a series of therapies – speech, occupational, sensory integration and group. Every week would be drilling and hammering, grueling tough sessions of therapy. Vihaan would sometimes not cooperate and things would get difficult. School became a dreadful trip. He went to an inclusive school but later I realized he couldn’t handle long hours and would throw tantrums sometimes resulting in unintentionally harming other kids. I would invariably get called to school. But thankfully, the principal and the teaching staff were warm and caring.
Eventually I realized Vihaan couldn’t cope. Otherwise seemingly easy activities like a dictation or copying things from the board got tough for him. Attention span was less and he couldn’t concentrate on the teacher and would drift elsewhere. A few years at school went rough. He would be bullied because he was repetitive. Children laugh at him because he self talks. He has a funny mannerism and body language and I have often seen people have a laugh at his expense.
Meanwhile my marriage had almost fallen apart. I had a tough time because I had no help around Vihaan. I would work, cook and drive Vihaan to therapies and classes. I had also applied for a divorce petition in 2008 which finally came through in 2012.
At the same time, Vihaan also got through another school, an international school for kids with disabilities. He started it in August 2012. Since then, he has a fantastic change in his personality. He has become very social, completely aware and curious of his surroundings, a lot more independent with functional chores and has progressed well with language, though his learning language is universally English. But this has been a long journey from what we started a few years ago. Today I am cordial and friendly with my ex husband ( though I am still puzzled how can someone who gave me a tough time for almost 11 years mellow down so much).  Perhaps you value something when you lose it. I don’t intend to turn back though. He will always be an ex, no matter what!!
My son is my rock. He taught me a lot of lessons. I started believing in karma and I believe there is redemption. It comes in any form. There is no escape; we have to pay in some way. AUTISM made me a better person. Today, I am no more vain, proud definitely, because I have emerged a strong survivor of circumstances. I am responsible, accommodating, patient and grounded. I save and invest. I live for the present.
In the entire turmoil which evolved me, I developed a hobby. I was always an athlete. I took up running again to vent out frustration, anger and despair.
I want to quote a few lines I came across a friend’s blog once…I relate to them as if written for me –

I am a distance runner.
I have been trained to keep going even when it’s hard.
When it hurts. When it sucks. When I don’t want to.
I look past it all. Relentless, call it what you want – stubbornness, determination, endurance, guts.
Deep down, I don’t know how to give up.

After Vihaan’s diagnosis, I never thought I would bring him till what he is today. Though we have a long journey further, I am confident I have made a genius and he will do me proud one day. We’ll try..overcome obstacles and move on.
Autism is a neurological disorder and the causes are yet unknown. It can be genetic sometimes. These individuals are just like us. It is a social disorder, so most individuals find it difficult to make friends, hold onto a social conversation or understand jokes, sarcasm and diplomacy. They mostly remain simpletons; manipulation not at their discretion. Many of them cannot emote well, so they do not fall in love, marry, or have children.
 I was obviously shaken when I gathered I wouldn’t see Vihaan do things we would love our children to experience and enjoy. It no more deters me. The aim is to make him an independent individual. They just need integration, education in a unique direction….that’s when you know you are blessed with a diamond, uncut and unpolished. We just have an extra effort. They are different, not less. They need our acceptance! 

Thank you Sayuri. So-Saree is honoured to publish this post.
You can follow Sayuri here.